Improvement in



-J.R 0YAL. Fire-Arm.

No. 210,96 Patented Dem-17, 1878.

WITNESSES: NVENTOR: 0% m y B ATTORNEYS.

I ARVIS ROYAL, OF ROCHELLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN .FiRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 2E0,96, dated December 17, 1878 application filed November 9, 1878.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JARVIS ROYAL, of R0- Tchelle, in the county of Ogle and State of thereto.

A further object is to provide means for takin g up the recoil, and thus prevent injury to the hand of the soldier or other person using the weapon.

It consists of a short barrel fixed to a plate which bears against spiral-springs, iucasing rods projecting through the said plate, which are fixed to the handle or stock, whereby when the arm is fired the recoil is taken up .by the said-springs and its force expended without injuring the hand of the firing party. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved small-arn'i. Fig. 2 is a top-view of the same, and Fig. 3 is a front view.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

Referringto the drawing, A represents the handleor stock of my small-arm or hand" mortar. It is preferably made like a sawhandle, as shown, though I do not confine myself to this form.

From the end of the handle project the rods la b, on which arespiral springs 0, one end bearing against the end of the stock.

B represents the base of the mortar. It is made of metal, andhas two holes, through which the bolts are passed. The base rests against the ends bf the springs, and is secured inv contact with the same by keys d, passed through the bolts on the opposite side of the base from the springs. so that itis held firmly and securely between the keys and the springs, and at the same time a fixed connection of the base with the stock is obtained.

To prevent the base-plate from losing its position of perpendicularity with the axis of the stock, guides are furnished, composed of the ring 0, looped around the rods a l) and sustained by the an gle-plates 0, one end looped over the ring, and the foot connected with the face of base-plate B by screws. The loops in this ring 0, sliding on therods, guide the baseits proper position at right angles to the axis of the stock and barrel.

To the center of the face of the base-plate is secured the mortar -D, having a very large caliber in proportion to its length, Its oonnection with the base-plate is made in any convenient manner to secure strength.

E is the needle with which the cartridge is exploded. It projects through the base-plate into and through the breech of the mortar, so that it can puncture the cartridge. It is providedwith right-angular bends f, so as to bring it on the right-hand side of the stock at a convenient point to be reached by the finger. Itis, of course,operated by a suitable spnng. l

The operation of nay-invention is as follows: The cartridge is inserted in the mortar, and exploded by means of the needle E. The recoil that follows the discharge throws the base-plate back 'but as it is sustained by the springs 0 these retract; and thus take up most of the force of the recoil, and relieve the hand .from the shock that generally follows the discharge of fire-arms.

This weapon is of especial usefulness in fighting at close quarters, as repelling boarders from ships, and in similar situations. its great caliber enables it to carry very formidable and effective ammunition, while its length is such that it can be used where rifles and the ordinary pistols are useless.

Either shot or shells can be used as ammunition for this'arm. The saw-handle gives an 'unusual leverage for aiming. I can use a caliber so large that the other hand need to be held up under the handle so as to sustain it. A caliber of one-half or two (2) inches can thus be used, equivalent at short range to the wall-pieces that arm a curtainat Fortress Monroe.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as -new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- As an improvement in fire-arms, the baseplate held on rods 0; Z), in contact with springs c, which take up the recoil, iii-combination with the mortar D, rods a b, and stock A, sub

stautially as described.

JARVIS ROYAL. Witnesses:

H. 0. Roenns, J. O. MCCo vAUonv 

